Sailingsteps Hong Kong

Around the world: Hong Kong

In sailingsteps of my ancestor captain Jacob Bouten

Around the world: Hong Kong

Zeilsporen van mijn voorvader kapt. Jacob Bouten

Around the wordl: Hong Kong

1 Kees Bouten © 2012 Sailingsteps

Hong Kong in sailingsteps

Although I spent time in Hong Kong during my trip around the world, it was much too short and the

weather was bad. So I hardly saw anything of Hong Kong during the four days I was there and I did not

manage to go to Guangzhou and Macau. I will have to go back there another time and arrange for an

interpreter to join me.

The evening I arrived in Hong Kong (1Feb’10) the weather was still nice, but the next two days were so

cloudy that even tourist tours were not running. The third day was slightly better so I went on a daytour

on a very Chinese boat through the harbour area (with two other tourists), I had a my only Chinese-lunch

and afterwards took a bustour to Victoria Peak (with clouds) and to Aberdeen Harbour.

I don’t think anything can be found to be still there from the middle of the 19th-century in Hong Kong, at

least not in Kowloon.

From what I found on the internet before I went, I thought there would be remnants in Guangzhou and

was not sure about Macau. Before visiting again, a lot more research will be required, along with

arranging for an interpreter while there.




From Hong Kong I went to Taiwan, not because of sailingsteps but to

visit the parents of Yi-Chen and to see something of Taiwan, the

country where she was born and where she grew up before coming to

Delft in the Netherlands, where she met and fell in love with my oldest

son Maarten.

After arriving in Taipei I went immediately on to Tainan, where Yi-

Chen did her Bachelor studies Electronics. The next day I travelled on

to Kaohsiung in the south of Taiwan, where I spent a couple of days

before going to Taipei to meet Yi-Chen’s parents. Maarten had arrived

in Taiwan while Yi-Chen was delayed two day’s due to her work).

Sunset in Kaohsiung harbour Liouhe Night Market

February 11th I met Yi-Chen’s parents at their home, where Maarten arrived some hours before without

his luggage. Tthe following evening we went out for dinner with them to the 85th floor of Taipei 101

with Yi-Chen’s sister Min-Chen aswell and on (Chineese) New-Year’s Eve, I was invited together with

the whole family to Yi-Chen’s aunt’s home.

Taipei 101 and dinner with the Chiang-family and Maarten




Cinese New Year at home and the Chiang-family (now incl Yi-Chen) and Maarten

These meetings with Yi-Chen’s family in their environment and together with Maarten and Yi-Chen

where of much bigger importance to me than not finding any sailingsteps in Hong Kong and made my

trip through Asia more than worthwhile.

Hong Kong, Taiwan and Tokyo

From Taiwan I continued my trip to Tokyo (before flying to Sydney), but similar to Hong Kong it was

too short and it also rained for the two days I was there.




Before Jacob Bouten left San Francisco in 1853 to Hong Kong, he discussed the possibility to sail to

Sydney next. Although Jacob Bouten went to Batavia instead, I went to Australia, not because of

sailingsteps but to visit some friends in Australia. On the first day I visited Sydney, where I came upon

the

“James Craig”, a three-masted barque in front of the Maritime Museum! Nothing much you may say,

but for me at that moment rather special.

The barque James Craig was built by Bartram, Haswell & Co.

in Sunderland, England in 1874. Originally named Clan

Macleod, her maiden voyage was to Peru.

For 26 years she plied the trade routes of the world carrying

general cargoes during which period she rounded Cape Horn

23 times. In 1900 she was purchased by Mr J J Craig of

Auckland and was used on trans-Tasman trade routes as a

general cargo carrier. In 1905 she was re-named James Craig

and then a short six years later, in 1911, she was laid up

because increasing competition from steam ships made sailing

vessels uneconomical. She was then stripped and used as a

copra hulk in New Guinea. After the First World War there

was an acute shortage of cargo ships. This gave James Craig a

new lease of life after being towed from New Guinea to

Sydney for re-fitting.

The Australian barque James Craig sets off on her final voyage to Hobart in 1920

Her return to service was brief because in 1925 she was

reduced to a coal hulk at Recherche Bay, Tasmania. In 1932 she was abandoned and became beached

after breaking her moorings in a storm.

She remained beached until 1972 when volunteers from the Sydney Heritage Fleet re-floated her. In

1973 she was towed to Hobart where temporary repairs were carried out. She was towed to Sydney in

1981 and restoration work commenced. The James Craig's restored hull was re-launched in February

1997. She was recomissioned in 2001.

The hull was originally of riveted iron construction. During restoration many plates had to be replaced

with steel. Under the waterline one third of the original iron plates still do their job. The hull is totally

riveted. The fore and main mast are of riveted steel construction with timber top, topgallant and royal

masts. The Missen mast is of timber. The fore and main course yards are riveted steel. Upper yards,

boom, gaff and jibboom are timber.

Standing rigging is wire rope that has been parcelled and served to preserve it from the elements. Sails

are made of Duradon. There are 21 sails with total area of 1128 square metres.

The length of the ship is 54,7 metres (overall 70 metres), registered tonnage 646 tonnes (loaded

displacement approx. 1500 tonnes), masthead height 33 metres above deck, 35 metres above waterline.

Typical cargo: coal, kerosene, timber, wool, general cargo.

Off Sydney Heads, on a glorious summer day in February 2001, she hoisted all her 21 sails for the first

time in nearly 80 years and is now fully operational. James Craig is berthed at Wharf 7 Pyrmont.




The barque “James Craig”

It was more than two hours later that I left the ship, with a lot of stories about the reconstruction (all by

volunteers) and a ticket for the next day to go out sailing with them! A sailing ship, very much like Jacob

Bouten had been sailing for more than 30 years, I was going to be sailing on it, on sail on the ocean!

Remarkable.

Parramatta River and Circular Harbour from Sydney Harbour Bridge

Next morning, Saturday 20 February 2010, we set off with a crew of appr. 35 volunteers, including the

captain and officers, and with about as many passengers. First out of Darling Harbour, the ship has got an

engine nowadays, below the Sydney Harbour Bridge, going past Circular Harbour on the Parramatta

River out to the Tasman Sea.

As soon as we were on the sea the sails were raised and there we went with a nice wind of 5 Knots on a

beautiful day. We sailed on the sea for about four hours, a 15 NM out of the coast, at one poinr together

with a school of dolphins swimming around the “James Craig”.




With the “James Craig” on the Parramatta River out of Sydney to the Tasman Sea

The most special moment for me was when I was at the wheel for a

while. To be on a ship like this, at sail, on the sea and then to be at the

wheel ! I did not have the feeling of being the captain of the ship, not

of being in the 19th-century. I don’t know what I felt, I can’t describe

it. It was just a wonderful moment and very special experience to

stand there at the back of the ship at the wheel and to see it going with

all the sails in the wind.

I was very privileged not only to be alowed to hold the wheel (nobody

else was after I had been on it), but I was shown around all over the

ship also in areas where nobody else was allowed to go. So much so

that some of the crew got jealous when they heard I had been on the

lower deck and in the engine room.







It was also very

impressive to

experience how a

tack is made with a

square rigged ship

like this. I’d never

thought of it before

other than it could

bot be easy.

However they

managed it the

fitst time and they

were rather proud

of it! Nice to see

how those

volunteers did it all

together and how

they enjoyed doing

it.

This composition shows

some views inside the

ship, where the captain

was willing to pose for

me in his cabin and with

his bathroom and

bedroom right top. The

middle deck was made

during renovation of the

ship, originally it was not

there because the “James

Craig” used to be a cargo

ship. The lower deck was

filled with ballast,

consisting of concrete

blocks.




Back to Sydney

This last composition is from pictures returning to the river and shows the crew on the rigs getting the

sails in before we were back on the river and sailing towards (without sails) Darling Harbour again to

wharf 7 in front of the Maritime Museum.

During my stay in Australia I was with Axel and Wendy (a former Klinkhamer) first, at their place in St.

Ives north from Sydney, where I met their daughters Stephanie and Karen. Karen is married with Duncan

and they came with their 6 months young Leela to the Bbq on 21Feb’10, where Wendy’s brother Jan-

Paul came aswell with his wife Debbie and their daughter Zoë. Their oldest daughter Ada was working at

that time, but did also come along at the end.

Next day I went by train to Wollongong for two days to visit Piet and Nettie, friends with whom I played

volleybal in Delft when we where studying there and on Thursday I flew to Melbourne to visit Katelijne

and family, another former Klinkhamer. From Sunshine, where I met her daughter Jenneke and son

Hylke with his girlfriend Nerie first, we went to her oldest daughter Ynte, who is living since half a year

in the bush around Lancefield with Marty. From Lancefield we went to Alexandra where Wytze is

building his boat and from there on through the area which was burned completely the year before, back

to Melbourne where we were cycling along the coast during our last day together.




Sydney area Melbourne area

After flying back to Sydney again, first I had a nice dinner with Axel and Wendy in Circular Bay and

next day I have been to Penrith, to meet my son Robert where he is training every year in February.

Afterwards we went to Sydney together, had dinner in Circular Bay aswell, visited the Zoo next morning

and strolled through the Botanical Garden before he left for Penrith again. The day after I left to

Auckland, New Zealand.

Penrith Whitewater Park Robert at Circular Bay

P.S. Jacob Bouten did not go to Sydney after he came in Hong Kong on his second voyage around the

world. I am glad that I did it nevertheless (via Taiwan).

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Sailingsteps Hong Kong